On the road to recovery, golfer Graham DeLaet is feeling confident that he will return to the Professional Golf Association (PGA) tour once he is ready for the demands of the schedule. The former Weyburn local had a procedure on a herniated disk in early January, to shave it down and relieve the pressure that it was putting on his nerve.
There has been speculation that DeLaet will have to take a major medical exemption and will not likely return to the PGA Tour until the first of May. However, according to Graham's athletic management at the Landmark Sport Group, the extension is an option that will be considered at a later date.
For Graham, the rehabilitation from the surgery has been "going very well; I am feeling great. I just need to continue to be patient and rehab properly to ensure I'm 100 per cent for my return to the PGA."
His father Norm DeLaet said that Graham "is feeling good for the most part, just putting up with normal things that he must go through in recovery."
That recovery includes "a lot of walking and a wide range of strengthening exercises," said Graham. "Most of my time has been spent at home getting rest, walking a few miles a day and focusing on my exercises, as well as visits to physio and massage therapy. My support team has been my surgeon, therapists, my wife and my family."
One of the improvements that Graham has noted is that "the unbearable pain that I had in my lower back and legs before the surgery is now a thing of the past. I'm very confident that I will be back to the PGA soon."
Last week, DeLaet had the opportunity to get in some practice. "Once I get myself back to 100 per cent healthwise, I will be ready for the demands of the PGA tour schedule."
He has been closely watching the PGA tour, with two months of tournaments already played by other competitors. "I have a lot of friends on the PGA Tour, so I am definitely following it very closely," said DeLaet. "I am looking forward to being out there with them soon."
"I have received a ton of support from friends on the PGA tour and elsewhere," added DeLaet. "I'm very appreciative of all of the well wishes I've received and can't wait to get back on the Tour and continue to make Canada proud."
One of the bigger events away from the PGA Tour this season for DeLaet will be when he returns to Weyburn for the Ulterra Presents the Graham DeLaet Charity Golf Tournament for the Weyburn and District Hospital Foundation. The event has been set for Wednesday, July 27, at the Weyburn Golf Course.
The events of the charity tournament will include a breakfast, a junior golf clinic with DeLaet, an 18-hole tournament at which Graham will hit a tee shot on the long par-five 10th hole, and a supper that will be followed by both a silent and live auction.
